JP5981589B1 - Coating method and coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a coating method capable of accurately coating a coating material on a plurality of divided patterns at low cost. An application method according to an embodiment includes a head main body 11 having a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a plurality of application regions 12 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11, and a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. A coating head 10 including a separation region 13 provided between adjacent coating regions 12 is prepared. The coating head 10 is disposed on the coating surface 2a with a predetermined gap while the region where the separation region 13 is not formed is directed toward the coating surface 2a of the coating object 2. The coating material 3 is supplied between the coating head 10 and the coating surface 2 a, and the meniscus column 4 of the coating material 3 is formed across a plurality of coating regions 12. The coating head 10 is rotated so that the separation region 13 faces the coating surface 2a to separate the meniscus column 4 into a plurality of pieces. The coating material 3 separated into a plurality is applied to the coating surface 2a. [Selection] Figure 8

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a coating method and a coating apparatus.

  An organic thin-film solar cell using an organic semiconductor is expected as a low-cost solar cell because an inexpensive coating method can be applied to form an active layer. The cell constituting the organic thin film solar cell module has a structure in which an organic active layer is sandwiched between a transparent electrode and a counter electrode. Since the transparent electrode generally has low conductivity, the efficiency of extracting generated charges to the outside decreases as the cell area increases. Therefore, it is common to form a plurality of strip-shaped cells side by side and connect the plurality of cells in series.

  In order to realize the above-described organic thin-film solar cell module having a plurality of cells at a low cost, it is required to accurately apply a coating material for forming an organic active layer into a plurality of divided patterns. Furthermore, since the film thickness of the organic active layer is on the order of several tens to several hundreds of nm, it is required to form such a very thin layer with high accuracy. However, conventional coating methods cannot accurately form a plurality of patterned organic active layers at low cost. For example, a meniscus printing method is known as a coating method capable of printing an extremely thin layer on a relatively large area at a low cost. However, the conventional meniscus printing method cannot form a plurality of divided organic active layer patterns with low cost and high accuracy. For these reasons, there is a demand for improvement in technology for applying a coating material to a plurality of divided patterns.

JP 2013-066683 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coating method and a coating apparatus capable of accurately coating a coating material on a plurality of divided patterns at low cost.

  The application method of the embodiment includes a head body having a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a plurality of application regions provided so as to divide the outer peripheral surface of the head main body into a plurality, and a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. Along the step of preparing a coating head provided with a separation region provided between adjacent coating regions, while turning the region where the separation region of the outer peripheral surface is not formed toward the coating surface side of the coating object, A step of disposing a coating head on the coating surface with a predetermined gap; a step of supplying a coating material between the coating head and the coating surface and forming a meniscus column of the coating material across a plurality of coating regions; A step of rotating the coating head in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface so that the separation region faces the coating surface side, and separating the meniscus column into a plurality according to the plurality of coating regions; and at least the coating head and the coating object Move one and multiple And comprising a step of applying the separated coated material coated surface.

It is a front view which shows the coating device of embodiment. It is a side view of the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st structural example of the coating head in the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd structural example of the coating head in the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 3rd structural example of the coating head in the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 4th structural example of the coating head in the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the coating method using the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the coating method using the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the coating method using the coating device shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the isolation | separation area | region in the coating head of the coating device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the organic thin-film solar cell produced using the coating device shown in FIG. It is a top view of the organic thin film solar cell shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a coating method and a coating apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the coating apparatus of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the coating apparatus of the embodiment. The coating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 forms a coating film of a desired shape on a substrate 2 by applying a liquid coating material 3 to a coating surface (surface) 2a of a substrate 2 that is a coating object. It is a device for. The coating apparatus 1 moves at least one of the coating head 10, a supply mechanism 20 that supplies the coating material 3, a rotation mechanism 30 that rotates the coating head 10, and the substrate 2 that is the coating target. Mechanism 40.

  The coating head 10 includes a head main body 11 having a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a plurality of application regions 12 provided so as to divide the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11 into a plurality, and a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. , And a separation region 13 provided between the adjacent coating regions 12. The head main body 11 has a columnar shape that is long in the x direction in the drawing, and can be rotated by, for example, the rotation mechanism 30 with a columnar axis as a rotation axis. The rotational axis of the head body 11 may be eccentric from the cylindrical axis as will be described later. The coating head 10 may be movable up and down, for example, in the z direction (gravity direction / vertical direction) in the drawing by an elevator mechanism (not shown).

  A plurality of application regions 12 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11 so as to divide the longitudinal direction into a plurality of regions, thereby forming a coating film divided into, for example, a multiple strip pattern. Is done. Each of the plurality of application regions 12 corresponds to each pattern of the divided coating film. The separation region 13 is provided so as to divide the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11 into a plurality of application regions 12. The separation region 13 is provided between the adjacent application regions 12. The separation region 13 is provided along only a part of the outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 has a region in which the separation region 13 is provided and a region in which the separation region 13 is not provided in the circumferential direction.

  The separation region 13 has a function of separating a meniscus column of a coating material, which will be described later, into a plurality according to the plurality of coating regions 12. The meniscus column separation operation will be described in detail later. Specific configurations of the separation region 13 include a recess portion 14 shown in FIG. 3, a liquid repellent portion 15 shown in FIG. 4, a structure in which the recess portion 14 and the liquid repellent portion 15 shown in FIG. The hollow portion 14 has a shape that is recessed from the outer peripheral surface in the axial direction. 3A is a front view of the coating head 10, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 3A. The same applies to FIGS. 4 and 5. The specific shape of the recessed portion 14 is not particularly limited, and a V-groove shape, a square groove shape, a round groove shape, or the like is applied. The shape of the indentation 14 in the circumferential direction may be constant with respect to the circumferential direction, or may be such that the width becomes narrower toward the end in the circumferential direction.

  The liquid repellent portion 15 has, for example, a coating of a material having higher liquid repellency than the outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 with respect to the coating material 3. The liquid repellent portion 15 may be formed by connecting a member having higher liquid repellency to the head body 11. The film (liquid repellent film) as the liquid repellent portion 15 is formed using a material selected according to the coating material 3 and the constituent material of the head body 11. Examples of the material for forming the liquid repellent coating include, but are not limited to, a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a resin material such as a silicone resin, and a metal plating material containing a fluororesin. . The liquid repellent film is formed by patterning a liquid repellent material on the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11, or after forming a liquid repellent material on the entire outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11, a film at a portion that does not require liquid repellency. It can form by the method of removing. The shape between the region where the liquid repellent portion 15 is formed and the region where the liquid repellent portion 15 is not formed is arbitrary, the shape where the liquid repellent portion 15 is convex, the shape where the liquid repellent portion 15 is concave, and between the two regions It may be any flat shape without any step.

  The film as the liquid repellent part 15 may be formed in the recessed part 14 as shown in FIG. In this case, the liquid repellent film may be formed so as to fill the entire depth direction of the recessed portion 14 or may be formed so as to fill a part of the recessed portion 14 in the depth direction. Further, the liquid repellent film may be formed so as to protrude from the recessed portion 14. As shown in FIG. 6, the coating as the liquid repellent portion 15 may be provided only in a minute region at the end portion in the circumferential direction of the recessed portion 14. The shape of the recessed portion 14 forming the liquid repellent film may be any of a V groove shape, a square groove shape, a round groove shape, and the like. The tip shape of the recessed portion 14 may be any of a rectangular shape, an acute angle shape, an obtuse angle shape, and a circular shape.

  The film as the liquid repellent portion 15 has a method of selectively embedding a liquid repellent material in the recessed portion 14, and has a liquid repellency after the liquid repellent material is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 having the recessed portion 14. It can be formed by a method of removing an unnecessary portion of the film. For example, when a liquid repellent film having a thickness t is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of a columnar head body 11 having a recessed portion 14 having a depth d, and the liquid repellent film is scraped off with a scraping amount a by cutting or the like, By processing so that a satisfies t <a <dt, a desired liquid repellent portion 15 can be obtained. The film forming method of the liquid repellent material is appropriately selected according to the liquid repellent material, and for example, a coating method or a plating method is applied.

  The supply mechanism 20 supplies the coating material 3 between the coating head 10 and the coating surface 2 a of the substrate 2. For example, a syringe pump capable of accurately discharging a minute amount of material is applied to the supply mechanism 20. However, the supply mechanism 20 is not limited to this, and a method suitable for discharging a trace amount material can be used. The moving mechanism 40 includes, for example, a stage 41 on which the substrate 2 that is an application target is placed, and a drive mechanism 42 for the stage 41. The stage 41 is movable by a drive mechanism 42 in the y direction in the figure. The drive mechanism 42 may have a mechanism for moving the stage 41 in the z direction in the drawing. The moving mechanism 40 may be configured to move the coating head 10.

  Next, the process of applying the coating material 3 to the substrate 2 using the coating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the coating head 10 is disposed on the coating surface 2a of the substrate 2 with a predetermined gap. The coating head 10 is disposed such that a region of the outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 where the separation region 13 in the circumferential direction is not provided faces the coating surface 2a. That is, the coating head 10 is disposed with the flat outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 facing the coating surface 2a. In this state, the coating material 3 is supplied from the supply mechanism 20 between the coating head 10 and the coating surface 2a of the substrate 2 (FIGS. 7A and 8A).

  The coating material 3 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 wets and spreads between the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11 and the coating surface 2a in the x direction, thereby forming meniscus columns 4 straddling a plurality of coating regions 12. The meniscus column 4 is a columnar body having an arcuate curved surface, the gap between the head body 11 and the coating surface 2a of the substrate 2, the properties of the coating material 3 (viscosity, surface tension, etc.), and the supply of the coating material 3 It has a desired shape according to the amount and the like. In forming the meniscus column 4 straddling the plurality of application regions 12, the coating material 3 is supplied between the plurality of application regions 12 and the application surface 2 a from one supply mechanism 20. The number of application regions 12 to which the coating material 3 is supplied from one supply mechanism 20 is not particularly limited, and may be a plurality. Although one supply mechanism 20 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, a plurality of supply mechanisms 20 may be used depending on the number of application regions 12. Even in this case, the number of supply mechanisms 20 is set to be smaller than the number of application regions 12.

  Next, the meniscus pillar 4 formed across the plurality of application regions 12 is separated into a plurality according to the plurality of application regions 12. In separating the meniscus column 4 into a plurality, first, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, the gap between the head body 11 and the coating surface 2a is widened. The step of expanding the gap is performed by raising the coating head 10 or lowering the stage 41. Alternatively, the rotation axis of the head main body 11 may be provided eccentric from the cylindrical axis so that the gap is widened when the head main body 11 is rotated. By performing such a process, the separation of the meniscus column 4 can be promoted. However, this step is optional, and the meniscus column 4 separation step may be performed without enlarging the gap. Further, the coating head 10 may be rotated and the substrate 2 may be moved at the same time as the gap is expanded, or these steps may be performed separately (the order is not limited).

  As shown in FIGS. 7C and 8C, the coating head 10 is rotated so that the region of the outer peripheral surface of the head body 11 where the separation region 13 is provided faces the coating surface 2a. The rotation direction of the coating head 10 is not particularly limited. Since the separation region 13 facing the application surface 2 a exhibits the action of tearing the meniscus column 4, the original one meniscus column 4 is separated into a plurality of meniscus columns 4 A corresponding to the plurality of application regions 12. For example, when the depression 14 is applied as the separation region 13, it is estimated that the meniscus column 4 is separated due to the difference in the surface tension of the material in the application region 12 and the surface tension of the separation region 13 (air or the like). In some cases, the coating material 3 corresponding to the position of the recess 14 is drawn into the recess 14 by, for example, capillary action, so that the meniscus column 4 is assumed to be separated with the separation region 13 as a boundary. When the liquid repellent part 15 is applied, the meniscus column 4 is separated with the separation region 13 as a boundary when the coating material 3 corresponding to the position of the liquid repellent part 15 is repelled.

  The indented portion 14 and the liquid repellent portion 15 as the separation region 13 depend on the width between the divided patterns of the coating film, various characteristics of the coating material 3, the gap between the head body 11 and the coating surface 2a, etc. In order to effectively exhibit the separation action of the pillars 4, it is preferable to have a width of 0.1 mm or more with respect to the longitudinal direction of the head body 11. If the width of the recessed portion 14 and the liquid repellent portion 15 is less than 0.1 mm, the separating function of the meniscus column 4 may be insufficient. When it is desired to increase the width between the divided patterns of application (for example, 10 mm), the application head 10 having a large diameter is used, for example, the circumferential shape of the separation region 13 is reduced, and the width of the end portion in the circumferential direction is reduced. This can be dealt with by making the shape gradually wider (for example, 10 mm) toward the center in the circumferential direction (for example, 0.1 mm). Furthermore, it is preferable that the recessed portion 14 has a depth of 0.1 mm or more from the outer peripheral surface of the head main body 11. By applying the depression 14 in this way, the separating action and pattern applicability of the meniscus column 4 can be enhanced.

The formation region of the separation region 13 in the circumferential direction of the head body 11 is preferably set according to the nip length of the meniscus column 4. As shown in FIG. 10, the total circumferential length of the outer circumferential surface of the head body 11 is L _w , the circumferential length of the outer circumferential surface corresponding to the nip length L _n of the meniscus column 4 is L ₁ , and the total circumferential length of the outer circumferential surface. when the circumferential length obtained by subtracting the circumference L ₁ corresponding to the nip length L _n from L _W was L _2, forming region L with respect to the circumferential direction of the separation region 13 is greater than the circumferential length L _1, and it is preferably set in the range of less than the circumferential length L ₂ Doo. When forming region L of the isolation region 13 is not more than the circumferential length L _1, the separating action of the meniscus column 4 is reduced. When forming region L of the isolation region 13 is a circumferential length L ₂ above, formation of the initial one meniscus column 4 is reduced.

  Next, by driving the stage 41 and moving the substrate 2 in one direction (y direction), as shown in FIGS. 7D and 9, the coating material 3 is applied to form the coating film 5. . Since the coating material 3 forms a plurality of separated meniscus columns 4A, the coating film 5 is formed in a pattern divided into a plurality according to the plurality of meniscus columns 4A. That is, the coating film 5 having the multiple strip-like pattern 5A can be formed based on the plurality of application regions 12 and the plurality of meniscus columns 4A corresponding thereto. At this time, when the coating material 3 is drawn into the recess 14, the coating material 3 may initially have a solid film shape as shown in FIG. 9, but the coating material 3 in the recess 14 is transferred to the substrate 2. When is finished, a divided pattern 5A is formed.

  As described above, by applying the formation process of the meniscus column 4 across the plurality of application regions 12 and the separation process of the meniscus column 4 based on the rotation of the application head 10, the coating having the multiple strip pattern 5 </ b> A is performed. The film 5 can be formed with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the apparatus configuration of the coating apparatus 1 is almost the same as that of a conventional meniscus printing apparatus, there is no significant increase in apparatus cost. Therefore, it becomes possible to form the coating film 5 having the multiple strip-shaped pattern 5A at low cost and with high accuracy.

  Here, as another method for forming a plurality of meniscus columns separated, for example, a separation region such as a depression is formed in the entire circumferential direction of the coating head, and syringe pumps are arranged in the plurality of coating regions, respectively. It is conceivable to supply the coating material from each syringe pump to a plurality of coating areas. In this case, the coating head is not rotated. In such a method, since many syringe pumps are required, there is a concern about occurrence of various problems.

  For example, in order to prevent bubbles from entering the meniscus column, it is desirable to discharge so that a small amount of coating material remains in the syringe pump, and the amount of extra coating material increases. Since there are individual differences in the syringe pump, the supply amount varies, and the coating film thickness, coating width, coating position, etc. vary. When cleaning the syringe pump, the required amount of cleaning liquid increases. Moreover, when changing the application width and application pitch of pattern application, it is necessary to change the arrangement pitch of the syringe pump. If the coating pitch is to be made very narrow, the syringe pumps will interfere with each other and will not be lined up, or it will be difficult to align the needle with the coating head. Furthermore, vertical stripe-shaped application unevenness is likely to occur at the position of the needle portion.

  According to the coating apparatus 1 of the embodiment, since the coating material 3 is supplied from a small number of supply mechanisms (syringe pumps or the like) 20 to the plurality of coating regions 12, the above-described points can be improved. Even when the coating width and the coating pitch are changed, it is not necessary to adjust the supply mechanism 20. There is no need to change the arrangement pitch of the supply mechanism 20. The present invention can also be applied to a fairly narrow coating pitch. The positioning operation of the supply mechanism 20 with respect to the coating head 10 is simplified. In addition, the occurrence of vertical stripe-like coating unevenness is suppressed. Furthermore, the following effects can be obtained by reducing the number of supply mechanisms 20. Even when air bubbles are prevented from entering the meniscus column, the amount of extra coating material can be reduced. Variations in coating film thickness, coating width, coating position, and the like due to individual differences in the supply mechanism 20 are improved. The amount of cleaning liquid required when cleaning the supply mechanism 20 can be reduced.

  The coating apparatus 1 and the coating method using the same according to the embodiment are suitably used for, for example, a process of forming an organic active layer in a method for manufacturing an organic thin film solar cell module. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an example of an organic thin-film solar cell module 100 to which the coating method of the embodiment is applied to the organic active layer forming step. In FIG. 12, the counter electrode is not shown. The organic thin film solar cell module 100 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 has a plurality of cell portions 102A and 102B connected in series. A plurality of separated first electrode layers 103A and 103B are formed on the support substrate 101. Photoelectric conversion layers 104A and 104B are formed on the first electrode layers 103A and 103B, respectively. Second electrode layers 105A and 105B are formed on the photoelectric conversion layers 104A and 104B, respectively. The second electrode layer 105A of the cell portion 102A is electrically connected to the first electrode layer 103B of the cell portion 102B.

  In the organic thin film solar cell module 100 shown in FIG. 11, the photoelectric conversion layer 104 is irradiated with light such as sunlight or illumination light from the support substrate 101 side. The photoelectric conversion layer 104 includes, for example, an organic active layer including a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor, and a first intermediate layer (not shown) (for example, disposed between the first electrode layer 103 and the organic active layer). An electron transport layer) and a second intermediate layer (for example, a hole transport layer) (not shown) disposed between the organic active layer and the second electrode layer 105. When the organic active layer absorbs the light applied to the photoelectric conversion layer 104, charge separation occurs at the phase interface between the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor, thereby generating electrons and holes that are paired therewith. Of the electrons and holes generated in the organic active layer, for example, electrons are collected by the first electrode layer 103, and holes are collected by the second electrode layer 105.

  The support substrate 101 is made of a light transmissive material. As a constituent material of the support substrate 101, inorganic materials such as alkali-free glass, quartz glass, and sapphire, organic materials such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyimide, polyamide, polyamideimide, and liquid crystal polymer Is mentioned.

  The first electrode layer 103 is made of a material having optical transparency and conductivity. Constituent materials of the first electrode layer 103 include indium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), tin oxide doped with fluorine (FTO), indium-zinc oxide (IZO), indium-gallium. -Conductive metal oxides such as zinc oxide (IGZO), metals such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, titanium, zirconium, cobalt, nickel, indium, aluminum, alloys containing these metals, or poly (3,4) -Conductive polymers such as ethylenedioxythiophene) / poly (4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT / PSS). The first electrode layer 103 is formed by, for example, a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, a plating method, a coating method, or the like.

  The organic active layer has a function of performing charge separation by irradiated light and includes a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor. For the p-type semiconductor, a material having an electron donating property is used. For the n-type semiconductor, an electron-accepting material is used. Both the p-type semiconductor and the n-type semiconductor constituting the organic active layer may be an organic material, or one of them may be an organic material.

  The p-type semiconductor contained in the organic active layer includes polythiophene and derivatives thereof, polypyrrole and derivatives thereof, pyrazoline derivatives, arylamine derivatives, stilbene derivatives, triphenyldiamine derivatives, oligothiophene and derivatives thereof, polyvinylcarbazole and derivatives thereof, polysilane And derivatives thereof, polysiloxane derivatives having an aromatic amine in the side chain or main chain, polyaniline and derivatives thereof, phthalocyanine derivatives, porphyrin and derivatives thereof, polyphenylene vinylene and derivatives thereof, polythienylene vinylene and derivatives thereof, etc. These may be used together.

As the n-type semiconductor contained in the organic active layer, fullerene and fullerene derivatives are preferably used. The fullerene derivative should just have a fullerene skeleton. Fullerenes and fullerene derivatives include fullerenes such as C ₆₀ , C ₇₀ , C ₇₆ , C ₇₈ , C ₈₄ , fullerene oxides in which at least some of the carbon atoms of these fullerenes are oxidized, and some carbon atoms of the fullerene skeleton. Examples thereof include a compound modified with an arbitrary functional group, a compound in which these functional groups are bonded to each other to form a ring, and the like.

  The organic active layer has a bulk heterojunction structure including, for example, a mixture of a p-type semiconductor material and an n-type semiconductor material. The bulk heterojunction organic active layer has a microphase separation structure of a p-type semiconductor material and an n-type semiconductor material. In the organic active layer, the p-type semiconductor phase and the n-type semiconductor phase are phase-separated from each other to form a nano-order pn junction. When the organic active layer absorbs light, positive charges (holes) and negative charges (electrons) are separated at these phase interfaces, and are transported to the electrodes 103 and 105 through each semiconductor.

  The bulk heterojunction organic active layer uses a solution obtained by dissolving a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor in a solvent as a coating material, and this coating material is used as a support substrate (transparent electrode) having a first electrode layer (transparent electrode) 103 and the like. Substrate) 101 is applied by coating. The coating material constituting the organic active layer is coated on the support substrate (transparent substrate) 101 by applying the coating apparatus 1 of the embodiment and a coating method using the coating apparatus 1. This makes it possible to form the photoelectric conversion layers 103A and 103B having a multiple strip-like pattern as shown in FIG. 12 with high accuracy and low cost. Although the thickness of an organic active layer is not specifically limited, 10 nm-1000 nm are preferable.

  The electron transport layer has a function of blocking holes generated in the organic active layer and selectively and efficiently transporting electrons to the first electrode layer 103. Examples of the constituent material of the electron transport layer include metal oxides such as zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and gallium oxide, and organic materials such as polyethyleneimine. The hole transport layer has a function of blocking electrons generated in the organic active layer and transporting holes to the second electrode layer 105 selectively and efficiently. Examples of the constituent material of the hole transport layer include organic conductive polymers such as PEDOT / PSS, polythiophene, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, triphenylenediamine polypyrrole, and polyaniline, and metal oxides such as molybdenum oxide and vanadium oxide. The electron transport layer and the hole transport layer are formed by, for example, a vacuum film formation method such as a vacuum deposition method or a sputtering method, a sol-gel method, a coating method, or the like.

  The second electrode layer 105 is made of a material having conductivity and, in some cases, light transmission. As the constituent material of the second electrode layer 105, for example, platinum, gold, silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, tungsten, titanium, zirconium, tin, zinc, aluminum, indium, chromium, lithium, sodium, potassium, Metals such as rubidium, cesium, calcium, magnesium, barium, samarium and terbium, alloys containing them, conductive metal oxides such as indium-zinc oxide (IZO), conductive polymers such as PEDOT / PSS Or carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes. The second electrode layer 105 is formed by, for example, a vacuum film formation method such as a vacuum deposition method or a sputtering method, a sol-gel method, a coating method, or the like.

In addition, the coating apparatus 1 of embodiment and the coating method using the same are not restricted to the formation process of the organic active layer of the organic thin-film solar cell module mentioned above, The formation process of an electron carrying layer or a positive hole transport layer, 1st electrode It can be applied to a forming process to which a coating method is applied, such as a forming process of a layer or a second electrode layer. Furthermore, manufacturing of perovskite solar cells using a perovskite semiconductor thin film having an organic-inorganic hybrid structure in the active layer, a solar cell combining a perovskite semiconductor thin film and an organic semiconductor thin film, etc., limited to the manufacturing process of the organic thin film solar cell module It can be applied to the process. For example, as a perovskite semiconductor used in the active layer, (CH ₃ NH ₃ ) BX ₃ (B is a metal atom such as Pb or Sn, and X is a halogen element such as I, Br, or Cl) is known. . Furthermore, not only for the manufacturing process of solar cells, but for general techniques in which multiple strip-shaped pattern coating as shown in FIG. 9 is useful, such as organic EL (electroluminescence) illumination and display. Can be applied.

  Next, examples and evaluation results thereof will be described.

Example 1
By forming 22 indentations with a width of 1.2 mm at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body made of SUS303 having a diameter of 16 mm and a length of 302.4 mm, 23 coating areas (width: 12 mm) An application head having The depth of the recess was 0.5 mm. The formation area of the indented part was in a range of 180 ° with respect to the circumference. As the shape of the tip of the indentation, three types of a rectangular shape, an acute angle shape with an angle of 30 °, and a circular shape with a radius of 0.6 mm were applied, but there was no difference in the effects described later.

  To 1 ml of monochlorobenzene, 8 mg of PTB7 ([poly {4,8-bis [(2-ethylhexyl) oxy] benzo [1,2-b: 4,5-b ′] dithiophene-2,6-diyl-1t- alt-3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b] thiophene-4,6-diyl}] / p-type semiconductor) and 12 mg of PC70BM ([6,6] phenyl) (C71 methyl butyrate ester / n-type semiconductor) was dispersed to prepare a coating solution as a material for forming the organic active layer.

  A syringe pump was used for the coating liquid supply mechanism. The barrel is made of glass and the needle is made of stainless steel. As an application target, an alkali-free glass substrate having an ITO electrode was used. As a pretreatment, a glass substrate cleaned with UV ozone and a glass substrate that was not pretreated were used, but there was no difference in the effects described later.

  The coating head described above was arranged on the glass substrate so that the indented portion faced the opposite side of the glass substrate. The gap between the coating head and the glass substrate was 0.88 mm. Three syringe pumps were used, and these were installed so as to be almost evenly arranged with respect to the entire width of the coating head. A total of 1.25 ml of the coating solution was discharged to form one meniscus column for the entire width of the coating head. When the coating head was rotated 180 ° in the circumferential direction, the meniscus column was divided into 23 pieces. Thereafter, by moving the glass substrate, a coating film having a multiple strip-like pattern as shown in FIG. 9 could be formed.

  As a result of observing the obtained multiple strip-shaped coating film, the pattern was well divided and the shape accuracy was excellent. Further, no vertical stripe-like coating unevenness occurred at the needle position of the syringe pump. There was no difference in the direction of rotation of the coating head. Furthermore, when an Ag electrode was formed on the organic active layer (coating film) by a vapor deposition method to produce an organic thin film solar cell, it was confirmed that good characteristics were exhibited. Although not described in detail here, an electron transport layer was formed between the ITO electrode and the organic active layer, and a hole transport layer was formed between the organic active layer and the Ag electrode.

(Example 2)
Twenty-two indentations having a width of 1.2 mm and a depth of 0.25 mm were formed at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of a SUS303 cylinder having a diameter of 16.2 mm and a length of 302.4 mm. The formation area of the indentation was set to a range of 120 ° with respect to the circumference. Next, a liquid repellent treatment was performed on the entire surface of the cylindrical body having a hollow portion. The liquid repellent treatment was performed by PTFE compound plating (manufactured by Metal Film Laboratory Co., Ltd.). The plating thickness was 10 μm. The liquid repellent part was formed by scraping the outermost surface of the coating head by 0.11 mm by a cutting method. The plating film formed in the 0.25 mm indentation is not scraped. In this way, a coating head having 22 liquid repellent portions and 23 coating regions was manufactured. When the coating liquid was applied under the same conditions as in Example 1 using the resulting coating head, good results were obtained as in Example 1.

(Example 3)
Twenty-two indentations having a width of 1.2 mm and a depth of 0.5 mm were formed at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body made of SUS303 having a diameter of 16 mm and a length of 302.4 mm. The formation area of the indentation was set to a range of 120 ° with respect to the circumference. The tip shape of the indentation was an acute angle with an angle of 30 °. Further, a circular recess having a diameter of 1.6 mm and a depth of 0.25 mm was formed at the tip of the recess. Thereafter, liquid repellent treatment and cutting were performed under the same conditions as in Example 2. When the coating liquid was applied using the coating head thus obtained under the same conditions as in Example 1, good results were obtained as in Example 1.

  In addition, although several embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Coating apparatus, 2 ... Substrate, 3 ... Coating material, 4 ... Meniscus pillar, 5 ... Coating film, 10 ... Coating head, 11 ... Head body, 12 ... Coating area, 13 ... Separation area, 14 ... Indentation part, 15 ... Liquid repellent part, 20 ... Supply mechanism, 30 ... Rotation mechanism, 40 ... Movement mechanism, 41 ... Stage, 42 ... Stage drive mechanism.

Claims (12)

A head body having a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a plurality of application regions provided so as to divide the outer peripheral surface of the head main body into a plurality, and along only a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction, Preparing an application head comprising a separation region provided between adjacent application regions;
Disposing the coating head on the coating surface with a predetermined gap while directing a region of the outer peripheral surface where the separation region is not formed toward the coating surface of the coating object;
Supplying a coating material between the coating head and the coating surface, and forming a meniscus column of the coating material across the plurality of coating regions;
Rotating the coating head in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface so that the separation region faces the coating surface side, and separating the meniscus column into a plurality according to the plurality of coating regions;
A step of moving at least one of the coating head and the coating object and coating the plurality of separated coating materials on the coating surface.   The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the separation region has at least one of a recessed portion and a liquid repellent portion formed along a part of the outer peripheral surface in a circumferential direction.   The coating method according to claim 2, wherein the recessed portion has a width of 0.1 mm or more with respect to a longitudinal direction of the head body and a depth of 0.1 mm or more from the outer peripheral surface.   The liquid repellent portion includes a material having higher liquid repellency than the outer peripheral surface of the head main body with respect to the coating material, and has a width of 0.1 mm or more with respect to a longitudinal direction of the head main body. 2. The coating method according to 2. The separation region exceeds the circumferential length L ₁ of the outer circumferential surface corresponding to the nip length L _n of the meniscus column with respect to the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface, and the total circumferential length L _{W of the} outer circumferential surface. the coating method according to any one of the nip length L _n are formed in the circumferential length L ₂ of less than the range obtained by subtracting the circumference L ₁ equivalent to, claims 1 to 4.   The coating method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of widening a gap between the coating head and the coating surface after forming a meniscus column of the coating material. A head body having a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a plurality of application regions provided so as to divide the outer peripheral surface of the head main body into a plurality, and along only a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction, A coating head comprising a separation region provided between adjacent coating regions;
The said application | coating which has arrange | positioned the area | region in which the said isolation | separation area | region is not formed among the said outer peripheral surfaces toward the application surface side of a coating object so that the meniscus pillar of an application | coating material may be formed ranging over these application | coating area | region a supply mechanism for supplying a coating material between the head and the coated surface,
A rotation mechanism that rotates the coating head in a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface so as to separate the meniscus column into a plurality of portions according to the plurality of coating regions;
A coating apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism that moves at least one of the coating head and the coating object so that the plurality of separated coating materials are coated on the coating surface.   The coating device according to claim 7, wherein the separation region has at least one of a recessed portion and a liquid repellent portion formed along a part of the outer peripheral surface in a circumferential direction.   The coating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recessed portion has a width of 0.1 mm or more with respect to a longitudinal direction of the head main body and a depth of 0.1 mm or more from the outer peripheral surface.   The liquid repellent portion includes a material having higher liquid repellency than the outer peripheral surface of the head main body with respect to the coating material, and has a width of 0.1 mm or more with respect to a longitudinal direction of the head main body. The coating apparatus according to 8. The separation region exceeds the circumferential length L ₁ of the outer circumferential surface corresponding to the nip length L _n of the meniscus column with respect to the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface, and the total circumferential length L _{W of the} outer circumferential surface. It is formed in the circumferential length L ₁ of the circumferential length L ₂ of less than the range minus the corresponding to the nip length L _n from the coating apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10.   The coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the number of the supply mechanisms is smaller than the number of the plurality of coating regions.

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